Head Office of National Housing Authority by aakor architecture workshop:

The site, surrounded by many government offices, is situated in a central location of Dhaka just opposite the High Court. The area hosts many large trees, a context which is considered a blessing for this surrounding. In front of the site and on the southern side, there are few age old trees. Considering the site and surrounding, placing a high-rise building in this context was tricky. Also, this is a government building which requires certain unique provisions.

People are always one of the key considerations for designing these type of buildings. It is expected that many people will come here from different parts of Bangladesh, some from the rural ares while others from the urban and suburban locations. Few VIP’s will also visit the place regularly for different governmental purposes. We have considered to provide equal access for all sorts of people taking this building as an example of designing in a democratic way.

Climate is a major factor in any building design for any context. In the hot summer season we long for a soothing breeze. Office buildings covered with full glass is not suitable for our climate as it consume heat from outside and we have to run air conditioning system round the clock. Also, it creates glare issues. Considering these factors we created controlled openings at the outer shell of the building while providing full openings at the inner side.

We pushed the building towards the north side to welcome wind from south-east. This is proved to be an efficient option for all time wind inlet. Open terrace gardens were designed on every two levels which would help to reduce heat gain. These design decisions will create a microclimate in the site keeping the environment more soothing. The articulation of the building form will mutually shade each other from the south-west sun. Concrete and brick were chosen as the building materials. An outer thick wall will be made of locally produced brick, which is easily available here. This will reduce the energy consumption significantly. Further, the use of solar panels on the rooftop will make it energy efficient as well.

It is a nationally important building. Because housing is everyone’s right, the government has many policies to provide housing for everybody. People come here for versatile services from different parts of the country. We wanted the building to be transparent to the people while they enter to the site and they should get a clear idea about the locations of different departments. Another important part was to apply a phased approach to the design considering the existing building.

To serve the purpose, we have tried to come up with a unique idea. We took a modular two-storied block to formulate the shape of the building. Instead of making a single vertical box, we progressively placed the blocks up to eighteenth storey in an angular progression. This idea creates many terraces so that the building is connected well horizontally and vertically. Also with this approach, people in the higher stories are likely to feel more connected with the ground level as they get terraces in front of their offices. This will also enhance mood and productivity. With this unique form this building will definitely create a landmark identity and will tell the the story of our design.

At the entry point, a big pedestrian plaza is visible which should act as a large social space for everyone. Partially shaded and partially open, it can serve the purpose in all seasons. From the entry point of the site, the whole compound is clearly visible. There are also planter boxes with seating facilities, street lights and other street furniture provided in the plaza for public comfort. We expect this space to be a memorable place for everybody who will come in this building for whatever purpose.

Master planning

An efficient master plan was an essential aspect for this project. Phasing system was one of the key components of master planning. We prioritized pedestrian movement to the site, keeping the south-east side open; which creates opportunity for wind flow as well as it will kept the old trees in place.

The site is facing south-west side. So, we had to provide controlled the opening on that side. At the rear of the plot, the part of the building contains mostly supporting functions like café, prayer space, library, common room etc. Though the building is joined parts of it can be identified according to respective functions. Almost all the spaces are utilized properly in this compound.